Dangote Eyes 500,000-Tonne Cocoa Deal in Ghana

Nigerian billionaire and industrialist Aliko Dangote is seeking to establish a major cocoa-processing operation in Ghana under a proposed arrangement involving 500,000 metric tonnes of cocoa.

Ghana’s Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, disclosed this on Thursday, November 12, 2026, during an interview on Joy News’ PM Express, following the presentation of the country’s 2027 budget to Parliament.

Forson said Dangote had personally contacted him and President John Dramani Mahama to express interest in using Ghana as a hub for local cocoa processing.

According to the minister, discussions are ongoing over the proposed arrangement, with the terms still under review and a contract yet to be signed.

“Dangote has reached out to use Ghana as a hub to process cocoa locally,” Forson said.

He added that the Nigerian industrialist was prepared to invest in the country’s cocoa value chain and could help Ghana achieve its ambition of processing more than half of its cocoa locally by 2028.

The proposal aligns with the Ghanaian government’s plan to increase domestic cocoa processing to at least 50 per cent by 2028 and 100 per cent by 2030.

Forson explained that Ghana intends to move beyond exporting raw cocoa beans and encourage investors to process the commodity within the country into higher-value products.

These include cocoa liquor, butter, cake, powder, chocolate and other finished products.

The minister also disclosed that a new Cocoa Board Act currently before Parliament contains provisions mandating local processing, while a legislative instrument will establish the timetable for achieving the targets.

The initiative forms part of Ghana’s broader agricultural modernisation agenda, which seeks to retain more economic value from local agricultural production, expand industrial capacity and reduce dependence on imported food.

Forson said the country spends approximately $3.5 billion annually on food imports, including palm oil, sugar, rice and poultry products, despite having the resources to increase domestic production.

The proposed Dangote arrangement could represent a significant expansion of the industrialist’s investments in African agriculture and food processing.

However, the 500,000-tonne cocoa deal remains at the negotiation stage, and neither the Ghanaian government nor Dangote has announced a concluded agreement.